Mimesis, Adaptation To, Adaptation Of

Adaptation can be of two sorts--adaptation to, and adaptation of. In the former, an entity adjusts itself to an environment, whereas in the latter, it adjusts the environment to it. The difference is of great significance to Dewey, the basis, according to him, of the Theory-Practice distinction, and one root of the Science vs. Religion conflict. For example, faced with in an inhospitable environment, some humans attempt to adapt to it by performing actions that aim at appeasing a Deity, while others attempt to adapt it to them, by studying in order to put to use, some of the featuries of that environment. But, other examples suggest that these contrasting types are actually two interpretations of the same process. For example, when an immigrant adapts to a new home by learning the native language, they are, at the same time, adapting that language to their own use. Similarly, a prayer for food is also a possible causal technique, while growing crops is also the integration of a farmer into the local ecosystem. Mimesis is analogously two-faceted: an Elvis impersonator both becomes more like Elvis, and learns a certain style of singing. Likewise, by successfully imitating the mysterious facial expression of the posing Mona Lisa, da Vinci's artifact is itself mysterious.